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Whose crown is it, anyway? -- Kireedam

Kireedam Genre: ActionDirector: VijayCast: Ajith, Trisha, Rajkiran, VivekStoryline: A young man aspiring to be a police officer is caught in the crossfire from which there’s no reprieve.

Bottomline: The relevance of the title beats you!

As the Sujatha Cine Arts’ logo is beamed on the screen and the ebullient (though grey haired) producer-actor K. Balaji swivels around with a genial smile, you cannot but get nostalgic. Presented by Adlabs, ‘Kireedam’ (U) showcases Tamil cinema’s alluring screen pair, Ajith and Trisha. It’s a casting coup for first time writer-director Vijay.

Looking well-toned and incredibly youthful, Ajith makes a mark both with his appearance and expressions. And matching him equally in the two departments is an awesome Trisha.

Talented cast

For an involved essay you have Rajkiran, for experience and expertise you find KPAC. Lalitha and for a spontaneous, natural portrayal there’s Charanya. And with Vivek and Santhanam bolstering up the show with their levity, what more can you ask for? Or so you think, till the climax opens.

Rajarajan (Rajkiran) is always dreaming of a bright career in the Police Department for his eldest son Shaktivel (Ajith) and as a responsible son, Shakti is all set to make dad’s dream a reality. But Fate has rather gruesome plans for Shakti. A don and his henchmen are in the wings to take over the reins of Shaktivel’s future in their hands and mess it up.

Come to think of it, the real villain of the piece is Rajarajan. Neither prudent nor worldly wise it is his injudicious actions that land Shakti in trouble. But not once does he express remorse. In fact he goes on increasing your ire with his bird brained approach — a major setback for the character. Very rarely Rajkiran’s performance borders on melodrama, but on the whole it’s a commendable show.

Vijay could have worked on the character more. That Ajith is honing his acting skills with every film is indisputable, nowhere does he overdo things. Likewise Trisha — she shines in emotions.

On the technical front, the unobtrusive nature of Thiru’s camera evident in the indoor scene in which the family chases one another in the cramped household, the tones in the climactic shots and lighting as a whole need mention.

G.V.Prakash’s ‘Vilaiyaadu …’ has a familiar ring to it. The lyric (Na. Muthukumar) of the number makes an impact with the thoughts it conveys. Antony’s editing has a significant part to play, and does its bit to maintain the tempo till the end.

Vijay has neatly packaged a strong storyline with a sensibly balanced mix of sentiment and action. At no point does the film sag.

Yet the last 10 minutes somehow seem to pull the rug from under the audience’s feet. The Malayalam inspiration is fine and the end need not be stereotypical. But to the Tamil commercial film buff, strong reasons for the deviation and the means to that end are important — areas which could leave the viewer bewildered.